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Roderick M. Hills, Harvey L. Pitt and David S. Ruder argue in this article that responsibility for accounting standards should remain with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which each of them headed previously. The Obama administration is considering a proposal that would move that authority to a systemic-risk regulator. "Such a radical move would have extremely negative consequences for our capital markets," they write.

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The House Financial Services Committee has approved a measure to create a systemic-risk council of regulators that would be allowed to offer advice on accounting rules. The proposal is seen as a scaled-back version of an earlier plan to give the council more regulatory authority and the ability to overrule the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Tiny yields offered by corporate bonds, driven by this year's bond rally, are making it difficult for life insurers to invest their cash. Such companies are still buying bonds, but they are worried that small yields will make them vulnerable to losses if there is inflation, which could drive up interest rates. Residential-mortgage bonds by government agencies were once a popular refuge, but executives said broad competition for them is making the bonds too expensive.

British businesses that are having trouble finding credit from traditional routes are finding that social enterprises such as Fair Finance -- originally created to help the poor and victims of loan sharks -- can be a useful way to access cash. "There are still small businesses in desperate need of funding being let down by their banks," says one expert.

Roderick M. Hills, Harvey L. Pitt and David S. Ruder argue in this article that responsibility for accounting standards should remain with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which they each headed previously. The Obama administration is considering a proposal that would move that authority to a systemic-risk regulator. "Such a radical move would have extremely negative consequences for our capital markets," they write.

Leaders who fail can teach us as much about good management as those who succeed. That's the premise behind "Derailed," a book by Tim Irwin that profiles six people who ended up failing miserably because of factors such as arrogance, ignorance or greed. "These are all issues of character," reviewer Michael McKinney writes. "And stressful times only make us more of who we already are."